JINAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A new China-Europe freight train connecting Zibo city in east China's Shandong Province with Moscow was launched Thursday.

The 49-carriage train, loaded with mechanical equipment, towels and red apples, will leave China through Manzhouli land port in Inner Mongolia and arrive in Moscow in 15 days after travelling 9,000 km.

The train operates once a month, and the frequency will be increased after the supply of goods becomes stable, according to the local rail authority.

A total of 17 freight trains have been sent to Central Asian countries since the first Zibo-Uzbekistan train was launched last August, the city's bonded logistics center said, adding the time and transportation costs had been reduced, and markets expanded for local products.

Mao Shengjun, chief economist of the provincial commerce department, said international freight trains had functioned as bridges between the coastal province and Central Asia and Europe, bringing Shandong and member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization closer to each other.